The sports view: team spirit runs high in Carbon County

Carbon county is known for it's supremacy in one sport over most others. This sport is the greatest sport ever in the mind of most residents. It is even called America's "favorite pastime." Why is it that baseball is so important to Carbon County residents?

I think this is because this county seems to grow the best when it comes to major league material. It's obvious that not many 3A schools can rival Carbon High when it comes to this sport. Even in American Legion, where talent levels are higher, the county claims supremacy over other teams.

Carbon's baseball supremacy is even noted by non-local papers. In an article in the Salt Lake Tribune in last Saturday's edition, several residents of the county were noted for their talents in our favorite sport. This article mentioned Joe Via, Adam Martinez, Tyler Nelson, Aaron Sandoval and Chris Hatch, all from 3A baseball champion Carbon High. These players were all mentioned as playing "pivotal roles" for Carbon's success in the championship. This is undoubtedly true, but there were several important players also left out. What happened to Chase Julian, Nick Nielsen, Chris Hanson or many other important players?

Now, several of these players hold positions on the Helper American Legion team. This is an even more esteemed position to hold. The talent necessary is much higher to play on an American Legion team. It is much higher than 3A or even 4A baseball.

This article mentioned that those certain players make Helper look pretty good for another state title. That is a huge leap toward this conclusion. Many other teams look just as good for the state title. Many with several returning college players. I'm not saying they won't win. After going to several of their last games, I've become a fan of our American Legion team, as I was when I watched Carbon High take home their state title. I believe they have a great chance of bringing another title back to Carbon County. This is because of all the talent on the team, from it's players and coaches. Many players play important rules in winning a title, not just the nine players that take the field during the game.

This game cannot be played without a certain amount of players with varying talents. No team has just one pitcher. What would they do if their only pitcher was injured? No team has 10 players and that's all. The rest of these players are necessary to play the game, and without them we would all be in trouble.

One player can't predict the turn out of a game. It takes many players to win a game. Players to cover for who has the latest injury and can't play are just as important to the game as those who start for the team. If these players weren't talented, they wouldn't be on the team in the first place.

Coaches are also especially important to winning. Even with a great team, if your coach is terrible, you're not going to win any games.

Coaches like Lane Herrick of Carbon High and Jeff Cisneros of Helper's American Legion team play as important a part as anyone on the team. Without them there would be no chance of a state championship. Without them, players like Troy Grundy or Joe Via would never move on to prestigious college teams or have the chance to be drafted by the Dodgers or Red Sox.

And even after that, spectators and fans are important to the game. If there was no support, who would even want to play? Without your family and friends cheering you on, what is the point?

Residents of Carbon County know this better than anyone. Carbon residents are always out to support the team. When Carbon High played for the championship, fans packed three-quarters of the stands in St. George while the Pine View team, who is local, had less than a third as many fans out to support them. This is not an occurrence that only happens for important games either. Fans come out and support their local teams during regular season games just as much. I think this is a great thing and it may be what sets Carbon County apart from other areas for it's supremacy in the game.